Suitable Cellulose
Sep 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Lynn Grooms
“Plan what makes the most sense for the profitability of your farm,” advises Martha Schlicher, vice president of operations and engineering, Renewable Agricultural Energy (RAE), St. Louis, MO. “As a grower, I'd always err on production of a crop that has multiple uses versus a single use. Switchgrass, for example, is largely a single-purpose crop — only for use as a fuel — so it's difficult to understand why I'd consider this for any acres that have a food or feed application alternative.”
Growers should demand that cellulosic ethanol plant developers provide data they will need to support a financial decision on their farms, Schlicher says. This includes information related to yields, profits, impacts on soil, demonstrated agronomic practices and risks.
At the same time, farmers need to be mindful that cellulosic ethanol projects, because they will be so new, will require time, a great deal of capital investment from their developers, and a good management team, Greene says.
In their own operations, farmers will need to get a good handle on what it would cost them to produce, harvest, store and deliver (if required in the contract) feedstocks, says Wally Tyner, agricultural economist, Purdue University.
Farmers need to ask themselves whether they can make a profit harvesting some of the corn stover, Tyner says. “Be sure and consider the cost of replacing the nutrients removed when the corn stover is harvested,” he says.
Corn stover
The impact of harvesting corn stover on the quality of farmland (nutrients, compaction, subsequent grain yield) is not yet fully understood, Schlicher says. Farmers will need to think about erosion as they remove stover from the field.
They also must understand that feedstocks need to be very clean going into the process, explains Mike Duffy, agricultural economist, Iowa State University (ISU). “Otherwise, it will interfere with the enzymatic process,” he says.
Farmers will have a narrow window in which to first harvest grain and then harvest stover, although some work is being done to develop one-pass systems. Researchers at ISU, for example, are developing a single-pass harvesting system that will gather corn into the hopper while blowing stover into a wagon following behind.
Without such a one-pass system, farmers will need to harvest grain, then windrow and bale stover. “We will need to learn more about what kinds of bales work best,” Tyner says.
Corn cobs
Poet is working with several major equipment manufacturers, especially major combine manufacturers, to give farmers several options for collecting and transporting corn cobs to its ethanol production facilities.
“Corn cobs are a natural raw material for us to focus on due to our leadership position in grain ethanol,” Broin says. “We believe farmers will be able to supply cobs in addition to grain with minimal additional effort. With many companies working on a variety of cellulosic feedstocks, it's difficult to say which will be the first, but we are very focused on corn cobs.”
Switchgrass
As with stover, much needs to be learned about switchgrass, including yield, agronomic needs of the crop, agronomic practices, pests and diseases, as well as its economics, storage and transport.
With University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension assistance, farmers in the state's Henry and Benton Counties are growing close to 100 acres of switchgrass this year. The experiment is expected to answer some key agronomic questions.
The cost of growing switchgrass will vary by state or region, says Burton English, agricultural economist, University of Tennessee. He notes that, in Tennessee, yields of 8 to 10 tons/acre would not be uncommon, whereas in Iowa, for example, switchgrass might yield just 5 tons/acre. This warm-season grass performs better in warmer climates, English explains.
The University of Tennessee also will learn more about switchgrass now that the state legislature has approved funding for a $41 million pilot cellulosic ethanol plant. Under the Tennessee Biofuel Initiative, the university plans to build a pilot biorefinery in eastern Tennessee that will produce 5 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year when it becomes operational. Both switchgrass and wood chips will be used as feedstocks.
Farmers will need to see economic benefits to raising this perennial crop before they will grow it, says NRDC's Greene, adding that supplying switchgrass biomass for a small heating project would be one way to gain familiarity with the crop.
Growers will want to understand the logistics of storing and transporting the biomass. It would not be practical for most farmers to store the biomass, waiting for a cellulosic ethanol plant to take delivery, Greene adds.
“The biggest drawback to any of the cellulosic approaches is the volume of the material needed,” Duffy says. “Storage and transportation of switchgrass adds considerably to the cost. This issue will have to be resolved or new technologies will need to come along that will significantly improve the conversion before we see really widespread use of cellulose.”
The volume problem will affect the amount of land needed for storage and the amount of truck traffic on the roads. It raises the issue of who will own the material throughout the year, Duffy says. “A big issue is the type of storage,” he explains. “In studies, ISU researchers found that total enclosure for switchgrass was the most expensive. But it resulted in the least dry matter loss.”
Part of the plan
“The biggest role that farmers can play is to participate in defining the practical aspects of feedstock production, harvest, transport and storage to ensure an economically viable approach can be developed,” says RAE's Schlicher. “Farmers can be a part of determining what works and what doesn't and can help identify what else needs to be resolved.” At the same time, farmers should be compensated for being a part of the analysis, she suggests.
Farmers should consider investing in collection and storage equipment to create a new income stream for their operations when the time is right, Broin says. “As we draw nearer to producing cellulosic ethanol, we will work with farmers so that they can make informed decisions,” he says. “But that's still a ways away. Commercial cellulosic facilities beyond our Emmetsburg plant won't begin construction until 2011 at the earliest so farmers have some time to observe and plan for the future.”
Federal funding
IN FEBRUARY, The Department of Energy (DOE) announced it will invest up to $385 million for six biorefinery projects over the next four years. When fully operational, the biorefineries are expected to produce more than 130 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year. The department selected the following projects:
Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas LLC, Chesterfield, MO, up to $76 million. The proposed plant will be located in Kansas and will produce 11.4 million gallons of ethanol annually and enough energy to power the facility. Any excess energy will be used to power an adjacent corn dry grind mill. The plant will use 700 tons/day of corn stover, wheat straw, milo stubble, switchgrass and other feedstocks.
ALICO Inc., LaBelle, FL, up to $33 million. The proposed plant will be in LaBelle, FL, and will produce 13.9 million gallons of ethanol a year and 6,255 kW of electric power, as well as 8.8 tons of hydrogen and 50 tons of ammonia per day. The plant will use 770 tons/day of yard, wood and vegetative wastes, and eventually energycane.
BlueFire Ethanol Inc., Irvine, CA, up to $40 million. The proposed plant will be in southern California on an existing landfill and will produce about 19 million gallons of ethanol a year. The plant will use 700 tons/day of sorted green waste and wood waste from landfills.
Poet (formerly Broin Companies), Sioux Falls, SD, up to $80 million. After expansion, the Emmetsburg, IA, plant will produce 125 million gallons of ethanol a year. The plant expects to use 842 tons/day of corn fiber and cobs.
Iogen Biorefinery Partners LLC, Arlington, VA, up to $80 million. The proposed plant will be built in Shelley, ID, and will produce 18 million gallons of ethanol annually. The plant will use 700 tons/day of agricultural residues, including wheat straw, barley straw, corn stover, switchgrass and rice straw.
Range Fuels (formerly Kergy Inc.), Broomfield, CO, up to $76 million. The proposed plant will be constructed in Soperton, GA, and will produce about 40 million gallons of ethanol per year and 9 million gallons per year of methanol. The plant will use 1,200 tons/day of wood residues and wood-based energy crops.
In March, the DOE announced more than $23 million in federal funding will be available, subject to negotiation of final project plans and funding, for five projects focused on developing highly efficient fermentative organisms to convert biomass material to ethanol. The projects and the amounts they may receive are as follows:
- Cargill Inc., up to $4.4 million
- Celunol Corporation, up to $5.3 million
- E.I. Dupont de Nemours & Company, up to $3.7 million
- Mascoma Corporation, up to $4.9 million
- Purdue University, up to $5.0 million
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